Phantom Shadows
by Tabula Rasa
Summary: {Multi-part} Ginny Weasley has not been sleeping well lately. Her dreams are haunted by a familiar specter and when a certain diary returns, it seems that all hell is about to break loose. {Harry/Ginny/Tom triangle, Hermione/Oliver, Ron/Padma}
1. Prologue In Dreams He Came

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

**Phantom Shadows**   
**_Prologue_**   
**_In Dreams He Came_**

_In sleep he sang to me,_   
_In dreams he came,_   
_That voice which calls to me,_   
_And speaks my name,_   
_And do I dream again_   
_For night is blind,_   
_The Phantom of the Opera is here,_   
_Inside my mind..._   
**_~ The Phantom of the Opera_**

  
  
  
  


Ginny Weasley closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to run down her cheeks. She was up in the fourth year girl's dormitory, lying on her bed. She had claimed that she was sick and cut out from Charms as fast as she could. And she had felt sick then, too. Taking one last look at the sheet of parchment that she held in her hand, she crumpled it up and pointed her wand at it, 

"Incendio." she muttered and the parchment burst into flames. But it still didn't help her. Still didn't change the fact that it was the fifth - or was it sixth? - test that she had failed. She watched as the ball of parchment flamed, then burnt out and ashes drifted to the floor. She sat down on her bed, looking miserably down at her shoes, gently kicking the floor with her right foot. It was the second month of school, 6th October to be exact and she was having more difficulty this year than ever. It wasn't because the work was hard, but because she was too distracted. Distracted by the news that the Dark Lord was back. 

Although it wasn't really him she was worried about. It was the younger version of him. Although she knew it was ridiculous that Tom Riddle could come back, some part of her, deep down, believed that he could. And what scared her most about it was that there was some tiny, smidgen inside of her that actually _wanted _him back. She had nightmares about his returning - ever since her first year - but she had never told anyone. Afraid that they would think her weak, she had kept the dreams bottled up inside of her. And now, they were coming more often. There was scarcely a night that Ginny didn't wake up, heart pounding and eyes wide, scared of the images she had seen in her mind. Scared to return to the land of slumber, the fourteen-year-old wouldn't be able to sleep any more that night. Deprived of sleep had caused a decline in her concentration and note-taking which led to her recent test failures. 

Yawning, Ginny kicked off her shoes and leaned back on her bed. Her eyelids were so heavy - a few minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt. _After all_, she reasoned while checking her watch, _Charms won't be over for another fifty minutes yet._ _It'll be all right to get some sle_.... 

She was asleep before she hit the pillow. 

Unbeknownst to Ginny Weasley, there were a pair of eyes watching her. At the window there sat an owl. Its feathers were obsedian with a slight blue-ish tinge. The animal looked underfed and slightly sick. It almost seemed to resemble a raven more than an owl. Its sharp golden eyes glanced around the room. It flew in and circled - once, twice, three times - before leaving. However, the owl's visit was not without purpose. On it's thrid circle of the room, it had passed right over top of the sleeping girl and dropped a small, black thing that landed beside her. 

Ginny mumbled something in her sleep and a breeze blew gently from the open window. The black object now proved to be a book of some kind as the cover blew open in the wind. On the title page, there was one sentence. _Property of T. M. Riddle_. In slumber, a small, pale hand closed around the diary, shutting it.   
  
  
  


_It was a peaceful place. Below, the cerulean ocean crashed into the cliff upon which Ginny sat, looking down. The only thing she felt was complete and utter contentment. Perhaps this dream would be different. Perhaps _he_ wouldn't be here. Although she hoped for this, she knew that it wouldn't be true. She knew that _he _would come along soon. A shiver made its way up her spine. Not from cold, but from fear. Looking up, Ginny saw the sun in a sea of pure blue sky, with only a few clouds dotting it. It seemed like the perfect idyllic place._

_"Now all I need is for _him_ to come and ruin it all." Ginny said spitefully to the beautiful landscape. She narrowed her eyes at the sun, as if expecting the aforementioned _him_ to descend from it._

_"What makes you think," came a voice. Ginny closed her eyes, wishing for him to go away. "I'll ruin it all?" the voice continued. Never, before she had met _him_ had Ginny thought that a light Welsh accent could sound so threatening with one sentence._

_"Now, darling, that's not really fair to assume such." the voice came again. This time, Ginny was sure that he was behind her._

_"Go away." she whispered, drawing her knees to her chest and wapping her arms around herself._

_"I don't think I shall." a hand was on her cheek now. Cold, icy cold._

_"This is just a dream." Ginny whispered. She jerked her head away from the hand, but to no avail. Another hand was placed on her other cheek._

_"Is that what you believe?" the voice was harsher now and the hands were pressing hard on her face, "It is, Ginny?"_

_"Yes." Ginny said, although even to her she sounded weak and unsure. The hands moved from her cheeks to rest loosely around her neck. She shivered, keeping her eyes closed. Just the slightest preassure from those hands with the long, spider-like fingers could cease breath from entering her body. Ginny was sure that's what he wanted. For her to be dead._

_"Really?" the voice continued._

_"It _is_ a dream!" Ginny insisted, wishing with all of her heart that she could believe that. The hands around her neck increased the preassure and her breath began to become harder to get._

_"Open your eyes, Ginny." the voice said, harshness evident and growing._

_"No!" Ginny yelped as the preassure on her neck continued to increase. She knew what she would see if she opened her eyes. She would a pale face, almost as pale as death. Twin violet eyes would peer out at her from obsedian eyelashes, contrasting sharply with the paleness of his skin. However, in this case, his eyes were most likely to be red with anger. In front of those colour-changing eyes would fall locks of har so black that it shone with blue-hued highlights._

_"Open your damn eyes, Ginny." he said angrily._

_Ginny swallowed. It was obvious that is she wanted to live, she would have to open her eyes. Screwing up her courage, she started to open them..._   
  
  
  


...and saw a ceiling. She blinked a few times, to get the sleep out of her eyes and to ease her confusion. _What on earth?_ she wondered, trying to place where she was. Rubbing her eyes, she realized that she was back in her dormitorty, safe and sound. She quickly sat up, dropping a small object that was in her hand. Her eyes were wide and her heart was racing beneath her ribcage. Her brown eyes darted around the dormitory, looking anxiously for him. When she saw that he wasn't there, she dropped her head in her hands. 

"Why won't he leave me alone?" Ginny moaned, rubbing her index finger and thumb over her eyelids lightly. Stopping, she looked up, glancing around the room, "Why won't you leave me the hell alone, Tom Riddle?" she demanded loudly of the empty space. 

She could almost hear his reply, _Because I like being around you, Ginny. You're a very interesting person...you almost remind me of myself_ was what he had said back in her first year when she had demanded the same question. She had demanded an answer before he had dragged her down to the Chamber for the final time. "But I'm nothing like you." Ginny whispered aloud, wrapping her arms around herself. She looked down to see the small object that she had held close in slumber. 

Looking down at it, Ginny discovered that it was a small, black, leather-bound diary that looked very familiar. Her common sense told her that it was impossible, Harry had destroyed the diary down in the Chamber. He had told her that! She remembered and had clung to that fact for what seemed like forever, as it meant there was no way for Tom Riddle to come back. He was telling the truth, she was sure! 

_But what if,_ a nagging little voice spoke up in the back of her head, _what if he was only telling you that to try and calm you down? After all, you were hysterical for quite awhile._

Ginny sat, frozen with this thought. As if someone else was controlling her, she opened the diary cover to read the first page. 

The words stood out, in crimson ink, as if written in blood: _Property of T M Riddle._

Her eyes went wide and her heart seemed to stop beating. Ginny sat there, staring at that one sentence that caused fear to seep into her veins. Her face was chalk-white with shock. The diary slipped from her fingers, falling to the floor as if she had lost the ability to move the limbs. 

The diary fell to the ground, its covers closed. However, a stray breeze rustled through the room, causing the front cover to open to the title page upon which those words were written. The red-haired girl started to shake uncontrollably. Backing away from the diary, she quickly got off her bed and backed towards the dormitory door. As soon as she reached the dormitory door, she turned and ran. She hadn't gotten more than two feet when she crashed into someone. A black-haired someone. _Tom! _her mind yelled at her. She squeezed her eyes shut and screamed as loud as she could. 

"Ginny!" came a voice from below, in the common room. Ginny fluttered open her eyes to see her brother running up the stairs. She stared blankly at him for a moment. She tried to call his name, but all that escaped from her throat was a strangled cry. She tried to run towards him, but she tripped. The last thing she saw was the stone staircase that led down to the common room rushing to meet her as she fell.   



	2. Chapter One Close Your Eyes and Surrend...

**Phantom Shadows**

**_Chapter One_**

**_Close Your Eyes and Surrender_**

_ Close your eyes and surrender to your_

_darkest dreams!_

_Purge your thoughts of the life_

_you knew before!_

_Close your eyes, let your spirit_

_start to soar!_

_And you'll live as you've never_

_lived before_

**_~ Music of the Night_**

The stone floor rushed towards her face quicker than anything Ginny thought imaginable. It was if she was falling at the speed of light. However, just before she hit the ground, time seemed to slow almost to a stop. As if she was moving in slow-motion, she twisted her head to look up at Tom. Something was wrong with her eyes, she could tell that by the way his features were blurry, unclear and unable to be recognized. All that the girl could make out was a black blob which was Tom's hair. Then, a sharp shock came to the back of her head. She had hit the floor and her eyes rolled up into her head, effectively plunging Ginny's world into a black abyss, the image of Tom Riddle burned in her mind. 

There was an odd sensation creeping up over Ginny's body, as if she was falling. But that was impossible, there was darkness all around her. But no, there was the feeling of tumbling over and over into infinity. Her eyes were open, yet she saw nothing, even though she strained hard to see. Only by feel was she able to place her hand on her face, then move it slightly away. Still, she saw nothing. Simply blackness all around. Just falling, falling through and endless space. Ginny wrapped her arms around herself as a chill seemed to permeate her spine. _You'll be all right_, she told herself firmly, even though, in the pit of her stomach, she certainly had doubts. 

A sudden jolt travelled up her spine, as if her feet had suddenly hit ground. And, judging from the fact that she fell to her knees and felt something solid beneath her, she had hit ground. Ginny sat there, momentarily stunned. She hesitantly reached out with a trembling hand to touch the ground. It was most certainly solid, and cold as ice, but not wet or slippery. In face, it had remarkable traction, Ginny realized as she hesitantly stood up. It was chilly where she was, almost as if it was in the middle of winter. She quickly sat back down, bunching herself up into a ball, to conserve body heat. 

"Where am I?" Ginny asked aloud, her voice sounding weak and thin in this large black expanse. _Wait a minute_, she thought as she squinted in the darkness, _I can see_. And that was true. It seemed that the darkness had seemingly become lighter, enabling her to see a bit. 

Above her, as far as she could see in any direction, was a dark expanse of grey clouds, ranging in hue from off-white to a threatening almost-black. Beneath her, she felt the ground, hard as a rock. Ginny moved her hands about her gingerly, trying to feel her way around in the semi-darkness. It was still almost too dark for her to see, so this was her best bet on how to find her way. Suddenly, her fingertips brushed against a sharp rock. She hadn't put much pressure on the rock, but it had still managed to cut her still. Ginny cried out and her voice echoed slightly. She then brought her hand in front of her face and saw in the dim light that she was shaking. Ginny brought her bleeding finger to her mouth and felt the metallic tang of blood on her tongue. She gingerly reached out with the other hand, but found no other obstacles. 

"Where am I?" Ginny whispered again, now she could see a bit more. The expanse was continually lightening, as if it was sunrise. But still, there was nothing around as far as she could see. Just a grey expanse of sky above her and a solid black expanse below her. Black rock, hard as diamonds. 

"Well, if you were to call it anything, I'd say it's limbo." a very familiar voice said. Ginny whirled around and looked up to see Tom Riddle there, looking as cool and collected as always. 

"Get away from me!" Ginny shrieked, scrambling backwards from the black-haired male, "You already made me fall down the stairs in Gryffindor Tower! Go away! I don't want anything to do with you!" 

"Actually," Riddle began pleasantly, as if he was simply having a cup of tea, "I wasn't the one who made you fall down the stairs. One, I do not have a physical form. Two, why would _I_ be in Gryffindor Tower?" 

Ginny paused, still on the ground, to muse this over. _Actually, he does have some good points..._ she admitted to herself, biting her lip. He didn't have a physical body - _Thank Merlin for that fact_, she sighed. She looked back up at the Slytherin and flinched as he walked towards her. 

"Get up," Riddle said sharply, "And stop cowering." he ran a hand through his thick black hair. Ginny watched him with wide eyes, privately she had always thought he was in good need of a trim. "I thought you Gryffindor folk were supposed to be brave," he smirked, "How you ever got into that house is beyond me, precious Ginny." 

"Shut up," Ginny snapped, getting to her feet, "I don't have to listen to you preach about how I'm not fit for the house that I'm in," she pushed her red hair out of her face so that she could look him in the eye. Well, to the best of her ability, for he was a full head taller than her, "Just leave me alone." 

"Certainly," Riddle smirked, executing a sweeping bow. He turned and started to walk away, standing out clearly against the monochromatic landscape. As Ginny watched him saunter off, walking as if he owned the world, an icy fear gripped her stomach. 

"Hey!" Ginny called after him, "Wait!" No reply from the walking Riddle, who continued along, ignoring her, "How am I supposed to get out of here?" 

Riddle's light Welsh accent floated back across the distance, "Don't ask me. You told me to go away." 

"You're impossible, Tom Riddle!" Ginny screamed after him, sinking to her knees. She looked down at the ground, her eyes filling with tears. Obviously, she was stuck here and her only way out was walking away from her. _Stop it, _she told herself, _if you keep thinking that, then you really will be stuck here forever._ "There has to be a way out." she muttered to herself, still looking down at the ground. Roughly, she wiped the tears from her eyes, _I will _not_ cower like some weak little thing, _Ginny resolved. 

"Oh, there is a way out," said Riddle, smugly. Ginny looked up to see him standing beside her. 

"How..." Ginny trailed off, her brow furrowed in confusion as Riddle grabbed her arm and lifted her roughly to her feet. 

"I've learned to manipulate this place to my needs," Riddle said, letting go of her arm and fixing her with a condensing look, "When you've been here for..oh...about three years now, it's really helpful to know how to manipulate limbo." 

"Limbo?" Ginny inquired, twirling a strand of red hair. It was a nervous habit of hers and she instantly stopped doing it when she realized it. 

"You know, the place where souls that don't have bodies hang about?" Riddle said, a sarcastic bite to his tone. 

"And how do I get out of here?" Ginny asked, panic rising in her stomach. 

"Well now, Ginny dear," Riddle said, his tone patronizing as he smirked down at her, "That's for me to know and you to find out." 

_Smack!_

The sound reverberated throughout the area. Ginny stood there, glaring up at Riddle, her hand still raised. Her eyes were narrowed and her mouth was set in a scowl. There was no sound except for Ginny's heavy breathing for a few moments. There was almost a tangible aura of anger surrounding the girl and Riddle's violet eyes were wide as he reached one pale, spider-like hand to his face, where there was a red mark in the shape of a hand. 

Then, he started to laugh. Not a slight snicker, but full-blown hysterical laughter. Riddle's eyes gleamed as he threw his head back, still laughing. Ginny simply started at him, why was he laughing? He should be angry, mad at her for slapping him. But no, he was laughing. 

"What?" Ginny asked, backing away from him. Riddle was acting as if he were some crazed lunatic. 

"Oh, this is rich!" he exclaimed, his laughter slowing slightly, "Bravo, dear Miss Weasley!" Riddle smirked, his violet eyes sparkling with light, "Look around you, precious Ginny." 

Ginny stopped backing away and looked down at the ground. It was no longer smooth, as a matter of fact, the ground was as far from smooth as it was possible for it to be. The solid rock had broken into millions of sharp, pointed smaller rocks that jutted out, like a rocky cliff. Ginny's eyes were wide as she turned in a circle, this went on for as far as she could see in every direction. She turned back to Riddle, her eyes wide and frightened, "How..." she trailed off, swallowing hard, "What happened?" 

"You happened, precious Ginny," Riddle said, laughter still breaking out from him in spurts. His eyes were gleaming, like those of a madman and he had a horrible mad smile on his face, "You did this." 

"No...no.." Ginny whispered, backing away, slipping on the protruding rocks. She would've fallen, had Riddle not grabbed her hands. "What are you doing?" she whispered, eyes wide. 

"Dancing, precious Ginny," Riddle said, laughing once more. He spun her around by her hands, "Celebrating," he smirked, "Oh, this is so much better than I had planned," 

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, as she was being whirled around. It was taking almost all of her concentration not to trip on the rocks. She had never been one for twirling around because she got dizzy very, very fast. And this was no exception. Her mind was whirling, the scenery turning into blurring streaks of monochromatic shades of grey. The only thing that was clear was the face of Tom Riddle and even that was becoming blurry. She felt herself trip, as if she was detached. She tripped and fell. 

"Precious Ginny, what's the matter?" Riddle's voice floated down to her, "Are you all right?" the world was fading into darkness once more.   
  
  
  


"...all right?" it was still a question, but the voice was different, one more familiar, heard everyday of her life. It was Ron, her brother. Ron wanted to know if she was all right. 

"She'll be all right, Mr. Weasley," a crisp voice was saying in a matter-of-fact tone, "Honestly, all she did was fall." 

"And hit her head off a stone staircase!" came Ron's fiery voice. Obviously he was hacked off at the person with the crisp voice, "And then she fell the rest of the way!" 

"Mr Weasley, honestly!" Ginny now realized that the crisp voice belonged to Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, "Must I make you leave?" 

There was silence and then the sound of the nurse bustling away, muttering something under her breath. 

"I don't understand it," a new voice said. Ginny's ears perked up, it was Harry. 

"What do you mean?" a third voice, this one female with a light Irish accent asked. Ginny recognized the voice to belong to the third member of the Wonder Team, Hermione Granger. 

"I was walking up there to tell her something," Harry said, "And she came flying at me. Then she screamed and fainted." 

"Why would she do that?" Hermione puzzled. 

"I don't know," Harry sounded confused and Ginny felt a pang. He had every right to feel confused. She herself was confused...she had bumped into Harry? 

Something clicked in her mind and it all made perfect sense. Ginny had been blinded by fear and, in her panicked state of mind, she had mistaken Harry for Riddle. She groaned at her mistake. 

"Ginny?" came the question of Ron immediately. Ginny slowly opened her eyelids to see the faces of her brother, Harry and Hermione there. 

Ginny closed her eyes again and shuddered. She opened her eyes and gazed up at the three around her, "My head," she mumbled, bringing one hand to her forehead. She rubbed a temple and winced. There was a continuous pain in her head, a throbbing ache that didn't seem like it was going to go away any time soon. 

"Ah, you're awake, Miss Weasley," Madam Pomfrey came bustling back. She looked at Ginny appraisingly, "You look all right, but you'll have quite a headache for awhile." 

"Actually," Ginny found herself saying, "I feel quite fine, Madam Pomfrey." 

"Are you sure?" the nurse looked suspicious. 

"Yes," Ginny lied. She waved her arms around in circles, "I feel like getting up and dancing." 

"If you're getting up and doing anything, it's going to your classes, Miss Weasley," Madam Pomfrey said sternly. 

"Yes," Ginny bobbed her head up and down in agreement, "I'll go straight to my..uh..." she paused, looking around at the fifth years, "What time is it?" 

"Just after lunch," Hermione said, pushing her hair out of her face. She had gotten it cut and permed over the summer. A great deal of bushiness had left it and it was now tameable, "On 7th October." 

"Oh." Ginny squeaked out, "I've been out the whole day?" 

"Yeah," Ron shuffled his feet. He looked at the clock, "We're going to be late for Potions!" he yelped, eyes wide. Hermione immediately raced out of the hospital room, yelling over her shoulder. 

"Hope you get better soon, Ginny!" she called as her brown hair flew behind her as she left. 

"See you later, Gin," Ron said, patting her on the head, then took off after the brunette. Ginny scowled at his back, she did _not_ like being treated like some sort of pet. Within two seconds, however, Ron was back in the room, "And mum sent you an owl. It's in your dorm." with that, he left again. 

"Well, here's your bag, Miss Weasley," Madam Pomfrey sighed and handed Ginny her worn, blue schoolbag. It still had the books in it for her afternoon classes, she had put them in there before she had had her nap 

"Thanks," Ginny said, climbing out of bed. She was still in her school uniform, to her dismay. Well, at least it was only the afternoon classes and she could get changed quickly. She stopped and turned. Harry was still there, watching her. "Don't you have a class to get to?" 

"I thought I'd walk you to yours first," Harry said, taking her bag from her gently, "To make sure you get there all right." 

"Oh," Ginny said, a faint blush staining her cheeks, "Okay," she added, mentally smacking herself, _Oh, real smooth, Ginny. The guy you've had a crush on forever finally pays some notice to you and you act like a blithering idiot._

"What class do you have?" Harry asked as they stood outside the hospital wing. 

"Umm..." Ginny said, _what classes _do_ I have?_ she wondered. She mentally smacked herself again, _Stop acting like such an idiot, Virginia Weasley!_ "I have Divination." She stole a glance at Harry as they walked down the hall, heading for the North Tower. 

Harry Potter had changed quite a bit over the summer since she had saw him last. He was much taller now, as if he had suddenly had a massive growth spurt. Ginny even thought that he was almost the same height as Tom Riddle. His hair was still unruly as ever and his green eyes peered out brightly from behind round glasses. His face was more square-shaped, less round than the year before and his voice was deeper too. In fact, it seemed like all of this had happened in the blink of an eye to Ginny. 

"Well, here we are," Harry's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. Blinking, Ginny realized that they were just below the Divinations room. 

"Thanks, Harry," Ginny smiled, taking her bag from him and turning to the silvery ladder. 

"Hey, Ginny?" Harry asked hesitantly. 

"Yeah?" the red-haired girl turned around. 

"You know the Hallowe'en Ball that's coming up..." Harry's cheeks were slowly, but surely turning a crimson shade. 

"Yeah..." Ginny said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She winced slightly as she felt a dull, throbbing pain in her head. 

"Well, I was thinking..." Harry continued, not looking at her face, but at the wall behind her. He coughed and then blurted out, "Will you go with me?" 

"What?" Ginny's eyes widened and a slow smile spread across her face. "Sure!" she said, after a moment of silence, her cheeks becoming red too. 

"Great," Harry grinned, his face still red, but fading slightly. He then did something Ginny was not expecting him to do and kissed her on the cheek, "See you later," he said, before walking quickly off. 

"Yeah," Ginny smiled, raising a hand to her cheek, "See you later, Harry." 


	3. Chapter Two Come To Me, Angel

**Phantom Shadows**

**_Chapter Two_**

**_Come to me, Angel_**

_ Angel, oh speak,_

_What endless longings echo in this whisper_

_Too long you've wandered in winter,_

_Far from my far-reaching gaze._

_Wildly my mind beats against you_

_You resist_

_Yet the soul obeys!_

**_~ Angel of Music (reprise)_**

Divinations class sped by for Ginny that day, instead of being hopelessly long and boring. However, if you wanted to know what had happened in class, you would have to ask another person, for the blissful state had not lifted from her mind yet. She spent most of the class scribbling romantic nonesence on scraps of parchment, instead of writing notes. If anyone had been there looking over her shoulder the phrases _Mrs. Ginny Potter, Ginny Weasley-Potter, Virginia Adrienne Potter and Mrs. G. W. Potter_ would have been seen on the paper. 

"Ginny! Ginny, wake up," a voice snapped impatiently. With a start, Ginny looked up to see her friend, Mariana Javenson. The blonde-haired girl was looking extremely hacked off, but her expression softened when she saw she had the other girl's attention, "Now, if you're finished scribbling about your future name when you marry the famour Mr. Potter, we can go grab a bite to eat before the Quidditch game." 

"Oh!" Ginny blushed horribly, shoving the parchment into her bag, lest anyone else saw it. She stood up as Mariana grinned, "Oh, you're horrible," she muttered, the blush that stained her cheeks starting to die down. 

"Of course. I try my best," Mariana grinned, linking her arm in Ginny's own, "Now, c'mon, let's go get some food." 

"Who's playing tonight?" Ginny wondered as they made their way to the Great Hall. 

"Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw." Mariana replied, "I just want to see my cousin get creamed." 

"And why's that?" a voice asked from behind them. 

"What the bloody hell?" Mariana shrieked as she whirled around. Unfortunately, her arm was still linked through Ginny's, so the red-haired girl half-turned as well before falling to the ground. "For the love of God, do NOT do that!" she snapped at Harry, who had been the one behind them. 

"Ah, sorry about that, then," Harry said sheepishly. He held out a hand to help Ginny up, "Here." 

"Well, I'll see you two later, then," Mariana said, a mischievous grin on her face, "Oh, and Gin, your diary's on your bed." 

"Diary?" Ginny asked blankly. 

"The black one. Jezebelle found it and put it on your bed after you gave us a scare," Mariana called over her shoulder as she started off down the hall. 

"You have a diary again?" Harry inquired, looking rather serious, "I didn't think you would have one after what happened in your second year." 

Ginny winced at the memory and at the even more recent experience of the dreams with Tom, "Yeah, well." 

"Did you write anything about me in it yet?" Harry asked, his green eyes sparkling with an air of mischief. 

"No, not yet," Ginny smiled, removing all thoughts of Tom Riddle from her mind. She was here with Harry - they were going to the Hallowe'en Ball together. It was exactly what she wanted. Yes, it was. 

"So. . ." Harry said slowly, glancing around. It seemed that they were the only ones in the hallway, which left not much for conversation. 

"Right," Ginny nodded, a faint blush creeping up her face again. _Why do I have to get so flustered around him_? she asked herself, cursing her inability to hide her emotions, "So are you going to the Quidditch game?" she asked brightly. _Idiot_, she mentally kicked herself, _of course he is.___

"Actually, I'm not," Harry replied, "I haven't been sleeping well lately and I wanted to catch up on some rest." 

"Really?" Ginny asked, "You're having nightmares too?" 

"Nightmares?" Instantly a concerned look came into Harry's eyes, "What about?" 

She was about to tell him everything - how Tom had been taunting her in the dreams, how he hadn't left her alone even though everyone had thought so. But something stopped her, "Nothing, just trivial things," Ginny lied, of her own accord. It was not Tom trying to control her now, it was just simply her. 

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, concern still showing balantantly on his face, "I mean - " 

"Harry, it's nothing," Ginny said firmly, holding a hand up to his cheek. "Trust me, there's nothing wrong." 

"But you said - " Harry began to protest. 

_I want him to be quiet and stop talking about these nightmares,_ Ginny thought, trying to keep herself from screaming. If someone were to get her to talk about the dreams she had been having, more than likely she would have a nervous breakdown. And it seemed that Harry seemed intent on pushing her down that path. _How can I get him to stop talking about it_? She wondered, trying to block him out but to no avail. 

"Harry, stop it," she commaned, closing her eyes, "I don't want to talk about it." 

"Ginny, what's wrong?" instead of getting him to stop pressing her about her dreams, it had made him more concerned. 

_Cover his mouth_, was the natural thing that came to Ginny's mind, _Or make a quick escape._ Another suggestion resounded through her mind. 

Ginny winced and put her hand to her head, "Harry, I'm fine. It's all right. The nightmares are over. I haven't been having them recently, so it's all right. I just have a bit of a headache left so I'm going to go lie down, all right?" 

"If that's all it is," Harry said, suspicion slightly evident in his voice. He took a deep breath, then sighed, "Of course it is. And if your head does hurt, you should go lie down so you don't make it worse." 

"Thanks Harry," Ginny smiled wanly, "I knew you'd understand." _But does he really?_ she asked herself as she walked away from the black-haired boy, _Does he really understand you?_ Shut up, Ginny told the little voice in her head, _Just shut up._

_But is that what _you_ really want, Ginny?_ The voice asked, slightly mocking as she turned the corner and hurried towards Gryffindor Tower. 

_Shut up, Tom_, Ginny thought furiously, _And get out of my head. Go back to your little diary._

There was silence in her brain, as if he had actually heeded her command. She stopped for a moment, directly in front of the Fat Lady, listening intently to her mind. No reply, still. 

"Password, love?" the Fat Lady smiled down at her. 

"Crescent soul," Ginny said as the portrait swung open to admit her. She hurried up to her dorm room. Indeed, sitting there on her bed was the black diary. _Funny_, she thought as she drew closer to it. She picked it up and ran her fingers over it, _Funny how this small thing could have caused me so much pain._

Her natural instinct said _throw it away. You don't want a repeat of your first year, do you?_ Immediately, Ginny recognized it as her common sense. For one wild moment, she thought viciously, _What if I do? What if I _want_ a repeat of my first year?_

"What if I do what Tom Riddle to come back?" she inquired of the empty room. 

_If you want Tom Riddle to come back, he shall._ Ginny said to herself, knowing that it was the truth. After all, it was her want for him that had kept him strong, enabled him to come through the diary. No matter what anyone said, she was the one who had done it all. No one had coerered her into doing anything, it was all of her free will. 

She sat down on her bed, thumbing through the diary. It was as if it hadn't changed at all. The pages were still yellowed with age and stained with some sort of liquid. The only sign that this diary had almost literally gone through hell was the almost unnoticable patch on the cover. Ginny ran a finger over it, feeling the slight bump in the leather where the patch began. _But does it still hold the same magical properties as before?_ she wondered, looking up toward the window. 

"I wonder if he'd still be able to come back . . ." she whispered aloud, her eyes fixated on the window. She got up and placed the diary carefully under her pillow, lest someone find it. Walking over to the window, she rested her elbows on the sill and gazed out at the endless expanse of blue sky. She mentally shook herself, "Why are you thinking about Tom at a time like this? Everything's virtually perfect. You are going to the Hallowe'en Ball with Harry. _Harry_, whom you've had a crush on for five years now." 

Ginny paused, taking a breat from rebuking herself. _Five years?_ she asked herself, indeed it had been almost five years since she had first developed a crush on Harry Potter - when she was ten, the year before she was to go to Hogwarts. SHe sighed, it seemed almost pathetic the fact that she had been stuck on the same guy for almost a third of her life. 

"Ginny, what are you going, girl?" a voice demanded from the doorway of the room. Turning, Ginny saw Mariana there, with her hands on her hips. The blonde girl smirked, "Where's the enigmatic Mr. Potter? Hiding him under your bed?" 

"Mariana!" Ginny said with indignance in her voice, "Harry's gone to supper." 

"Which is where you should be then, right?" Mariana asked, striding over to where her friend was, "And not up here by the window." 

"I was just trying to get some time alone, some time to think . . ." Ginny said as Mariana grabbed her arm and began to propell her out of the room. 

"About what?" Mariana inquired, a mischievous grin on her face, "Anyway, Gin, have you thought about what you're wearing to the Hallowe'en ball?" 

"Not really," Ginny said, allowing herself to be pulled out of the room and down the stairs, "After all I just got asked to it today." 

"Perfect," Mariana said, grinning widly, "Now, we are going to figure out what you're going to wear," they were down in the Common Room by now and almost immediately, Mariana dragged the red-haired girl over to where Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown were sitting. 

"Hi, Mariana," Lavender said, smiling up at her cousin, "What are you doing?" 

"Well, Miss Ginny here is in dire need of a fashion consultant for the Hallowe'en Ball this year. She has no idea on what she's going to wear," the blonde said, plopping herself down in a chair and releasing Ginny's arm. 

"Really?" Parvati inquired, her brown eyes lighting up as they always did whenever she could sense a piece of gossip coming on, "Who with?" 

"Harry," Ginny mumbled, hoping that the other girls wouldn't be able to hear her. No such luck. 

"You're going with Harry?" Parvati asked, raising an eyebrow, "Well, just don't expect him to be a good dancer. Quite plainly put, he sucks." 

"But that doesn't matter," Lavender chimed in, "All that matters is if you have the right outfit." 

Ginny raised an eyebrow, was this girl always this shallow? 

"And it helps if you can move around in it, too." the older girl added, "In case anything happens, like . . ." she trailled off. 

"Like what, Lavender?" Ginny asked, sensing a bit of darkness in the brunette's tone. 

The girl looked visibly torn, like she was wrestling with her feelings. She sighed as Mariana put a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

"Lav's parents are . . . well," the blonde said, her expression anxious and nervous. She lowered her voice, "Not very good people." 

Ginny's eyes widened, then narrowed, "You mean they're . . .?" she trailed off, not wanting to finish her question. 

"Yeah," Lavender said, biting her lip. There was an awkward pause, then she shook herself, "But then again, what they do doesn't involve me, so it's all right. Let's go upstairs and see what we can do about your dress." 

Ginny allowed herself to be turned from the topic of Lavender's parents and let the three girls lead her back upstairs, but this time to the fifth-year female dormitory. Upon entrance, she was seated on one of the beds and Parvati immediately headed over to where a large wardrobe was set up. 

"How come you guys get a wardrobe and all we have is our trunks?" Mariana protested, looking extremely indignant. 

"Because Parvati got her mum to ship it here," Lavender said, looking rather smug. She joined Parvati at looking through it. 

"Why am I doing this again?" Ginny whispered to Mariana. 

"Because you want to look absoloutely gorgeous so that Harry won't be able to keep his eyes off you," Mariana whispered back, "And so you'll look better than everyone at the Hallowe'en Ball - except me, of course." 

"Of course," Ginny smiled weakly, trying not to remember her first Hallowe'en at Hogwarts. When the attacks began and that's when Tom had begun to take over. 

_Because you let me, precious,_ his voice hissed. Ginny almost gasped, but bit her lip to avoid drawing attention to herself, _And about the Hallowe'en Ball? Why don't you wear something green? Or silver? You know how I love those colours._

_Get out_, Ginny furiously thought, _I'm not wearing _any_ colours that have to do with Slytherin and with **you**!_

_You've changed greatly, Ginny. You used to do everything I asked of you._

_And look where **that** got me_, Ginny thought, trying to return her attention to Lavender and Parvati who had quite a few outfits to try on, it seemed. 

"Here, try this one." Lavender said, handing her a green dress. Ginny blanched at the colour, 

"Ummm . . . I don't paticularily like green. Or silver for that matter," she said, _Take that, Tom_. She waited for his reply, but there was none. 

"All right," Parvati said cheerfully, "Here," she handed Ginny a long, black dress. 

And that was the start of a minature fashion show that almost bored Ginny to tears. However, the good thing was that she did manage to get a suitable outfit out of it from Lavender. 

Mariana let out an admiring whistle as the red-haired girl spun around, wearing a long, flowing dress. It was of a dark red velvet, almost blood-coloured but slightly too dark for that. There were gold patters on the dress and many costumed jewels encrusted the low neck-line that showed off a bit of cleavage. 

"I do believe that is the dress that you'll wear," Lavender said, tucking her wand into her bag. The dress had once just been a simple red one, but within the last half-hour she had added designs to it to make it the masterpiece it was now, "I love it!" 

"It is pretty," Ginny agreed, looking at herself in the mirror. The straps were thin, made out of strings of costume jewels and the dress was a perfect fit thanks to sewing magic which Lavender seemed to excell in. 

"You should keep it," the brunette girl continued, "It looks much better on you than it would on me, any day." 

Ginny wasn't paying attention to her though, she was still fixated on her own image in the mirror. She pulled her hair back from her face and twisted it into a loose bun, leaving some trendrils of hair dangling down to frame her face. 

_You look like a princess, precious_. Tom's voice was back again, back in her head, taunting her. 

_Shut up,_ she angrily though. 

_Yes, a beautiful princess_, Tom was saying in her mind. Ginny closed her eyes and tried to force him out of her head, even though she new it was futile. 

"_My_ princess," he whispered in her ear. Ginny opened her eyes. She was still standing in front of the mirror, but it was as if time had frozen. Lavender, Parvati and Mariana were unmoving, like they were trapped in the space of time. Looking back in the mirror, Ginny saw herself not to be the only one who was unaffected. 

Tom was there, slightly behind her. Her eyes widened as he stepped forward and wrapped one arm around her waist. Ginny closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them, he would be gone. But she could still feel his body pressing against hers. She had let her arms drop to her sides and her hair was now down around her shoulders, flowing and loose. 

"If you're a princess," the dark-haired male whispered, pressing his cheek to her hair and taking one of her hands in his, "Then you're mine." 

"I'm not yours," Ginny whispered in protest, "and I never was." 

"Oh, yes you were, precious," Tom said, his eyes glinting with a hint of red mixed into the violet, "You were mine and you are mine again." 

"No," Ginny protested, a slight feeling of dizzyness taking hold of her. 

"Sorry, precious," Tom said, planting a light kiss on her cheek, "But you are and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Unfortunately, I must go now. So I bid you adeiu and au reviou, my precious." 

Ginny closed her eyes against him and when she opened them, he was gone and Lavender had resumed her talking. Ginny stared into the mirror and covered her cheek with the hand Tom had been holding. She could almost still feel the imprint of his lips there. 


	4. Author's Note IMPORTANT!

  
  
  
  


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**author's note**

  
  
  


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Umm, well. You've probably noticed that this hasn't been updated in a good few five months, correct? Well, that's because this story has basically grinded into a standstill. I've written myself into a corner. *hands head in shame*  
  
So, therefore, I am stopping this story  
  
Yep, that's right. _Phantom Shadows_ is now, officially dead. But do not fear, my precious readers and reviewers! There is another epic Tom/Ginny in the works. And it's going to be thiiiiis *holds hands as far apart as possible* much better. But it's not out yet. Look for it around the 21 December.  
  
If you want me to e-mail you when the new story is first put up, leave your name, e-mail and the message "E-mail me when new T/G is up" in a review, okay?  
  
I'd also like to thank the following people for reviewing:  
  
Tamelywild, Kate Lynn, Moony, Mione, Kris, Emilia, Cristina, Sida, Delinit, FireSprite, Jet The Anime Otaku, KNA, Sailor Book/Water Mistress, Artemis fire mage of Golin, Professor Weasley, Tarillyn Romita Alejandra, Catt, Azalai, ~Amber~, dobbie-luvs-sweeties, kai shikaido(or gwen lupin), Kate, Persephonie and Chocolate Mousee.  
  
  


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Hope I didn't disappoint you people,  
~ Tabula Rasa


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